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Dr Maxwell Caplin

Chest specialist who made an important contribution to tackling TB in the East End of London and focused on treating homeless alcoholics

August 18 2011, 1:01am, The Times

Dr Maxwell Caplin

Dr Maxwell Caplin worked at the London Chest Hospital where he was responsible for eliminating tuberculosis. He joined the NHS at its inception and never took on private work despite achieving eminence in his field. Caplin was appointed OBE for his work in this area with a particularly difficult type of patient: homeless alcoholics.

It is hard now to imagine the suffering wreaked by TB in the overcrowded and poverty-ridden East End of London. Mass X-ray screening led to early diagnosis and treatment, with new antibiotics, and facilitated contact tracing.

And, as TB declined with effective therapies, so chest X-ray screening led to early diagnosis of other conditions. Caplin was recognised as a leading expert in dealing with tuberculosis, lung cancer and chronic bronchitis.

With…

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